Monkeypox declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization

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23 July 2022

Monkeypox declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization

Monkeypox is an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission about which we understand ‘too little’, and which meets the criteria of an emergency under International Health Regulations.

“For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern”, the World Health Organization’s Director, Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, announced on Saturday during a press conference.

Tedros indicated that the current risk of Monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where the risk is high.

“There is also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for the moment”, he added.

Currently, there are more than 16,000 reported cases from 75 countries and territories and five deaths.

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The outbreak can be stopped

WHO’s chief said that although he was declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment the Monkeypox outbreak is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

“That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups”, he explained.

Tedros said that it is essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities.

“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus”, he warned, calling on civil society organisations, including those with experience in working with people living with HIV, to work with the agency on fighting stigma and discrimination.

“With the tools we have right now, we can stop transmission and bring this outbreak under control”, he highlighted.

Undecided committee

Tedros clarified that the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations, convened last Thursday, could not reach a consensus about Monkeypox.

He explained that WHO has to consider five elements to decide whether an outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

Information provided by countries – which in this case shows that the virus has spread rapidly to many countries that have not seen it before;
The three criteria for declaring a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations— being an extraordinary event, a public health risk to other States and a potential need to require a coordinated international response;
The advice of the Emergency Committee, which did not reach a consensus;
Scientific principles, evidence and other relevant information – which according to Tedros are currently insufficient and leave them with many unknowns;
The risk to human health, international spread, and the potential for interference with international traffic.

Commitee member’s in support of declaring the emergency expressed that future waves of Monkeypox cases are expected as the virus will be introduced in additional susceptible populations, and that the current magnitude of the outbreak might be underestimated.

They also cited the “moral duty” to deploy all means and tools available to respond to the outbreak, as highlighted by leaders of the LGBTI+ communities from several countries, bearing in mind that the community currently most affected outside Africa is the same initially reported to be affected in the early stages of HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The experts underscored that the modes of transmission sustaining the current outbreak are still not fully understood.

Recommendations

In order to fight the Monkeypox outbreak WHO recommends countries to:

Implement a coordinated response to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups
Engage and protect affected communities
Intensify surveillance and public health measures
Strengthen clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics
Accelerate research into the use of vaccines, therapeutics and other tools

A full set of recommendations adapted to different country contexts is published on WHO’s website, and the agency has also launched a live data dashboard for the monkeypox outbreak.

WHO now has three active public health emergencies of international concern: COVID-19, polio and Monkeypox.

Overview: what Parliament dealt with in first half of 2022

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European Parliament

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23 July 2022

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Overview: what Parliament dealt with in first half of 2022 | News | European Parliament

In the first half of 2022, the European Parliament continued work on the Conference on the Future of Europe, supported Ukraine and worked on legislation to help tackle climate change.

Election of the new Parliament President

The year started with the election of Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) as the new President of the European Parliament. She is the third female President after Simone Veil (1979-1982) and Nicole Fontaine (1999-2002) as well as the youngest President ever. Metsola will lead the Parliament until the 2024 European elections.

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Ukraine

In the wake of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, Parliament held an extraordinary plenary session on 1 March, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed MEPs from Kyiv. Since the beginning of hostilities, the EU and its leaders committed to providing support to Ukraine. In April, President Metsola was the first leader of an EU institution to travel. to Kyiv. In addition to supporting sanctions against Russia and help for Ukraine, the Parliament strongly advocated giving the country EU candidate status.

Future of Europe

On 9 May 2022, following one year of intensive discussions and citizen-led debates, the Conference on the future of Europe concluded in Parliament’s building in Strasbourg.

The final report from the conference contains 49 proposals and more than 320 measures covering issues including climate change, health, social justice, EU values, democracy, security; the digital transformation and culture.

Climate change

As part of its commitment to fighting climate change and implementing the Green deal, Parliament adopted its negotiating position on a range of proposals in the Fit for 55 in 2030 package. They include:

Digital services

On 5 July, the Parliament adopted two pieces of landmark legislation: the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act. The new EU digital rulebook establishes standards for accountability and protection for consumers from illegal content, unfair practises and certain types of targeted advertising.

Roaming

Parliament adopted a 10-year extension of roaming rules in April, allowing EU consumers to continue using mobile phones when travelling around the EU with no additional fees. It came into effect on 1 July.

Universal charger

Parliament reached an agreement with the Council to make USB Type-C the common charger for all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices in the EU by the autumn of 2024.

Equality

Parliament continued work on advancing gender equality, backing proposals to establish binding measures on pay-transparency and improve gender balance on boards.

Film prize

The 2022 LUX Audience Award went to Quo Vadis, Aida? by Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić. Accepting the award, she drew parallels between her film and the current situation in Ukraine, urging MEPs to find a way to stop the war.

26 June celebration across Europe: Putting an end to Drugs

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Christian Mirre

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22 July 2022

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The United Nations General Assembly by the Resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987 decided to celebrate the 26 June, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, “as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

“Supported each year by individuals, communities, and various organizations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.”

The Foundation for a Drug-Free Europe since 2004 is channelling the views of a hundred Say No To Drugs (SNTD) organizations and groups of volunteers across Europe (including in Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Ireland) whose purpose is to inform, to educate the public at large including the most vulnerable: the youth, on the harming effects of drug use. Indeed, despite what is spread by any organizations with vested interests in the business of drugs, there are no soft drugs. And this is very clear on the materials all these groups used, known as “The Truth About Drugs” campaign.

It is important to remind that legally speaking, the drug’s availability is strictly regulated by the International Drug Control Conventions (1961, 1971, 1988) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000/C 364/01) – Directive (EU) 2017/2103, to protect the population and prevent their illicit use. More specifically, the protection of the youth is provided by the European Charter of the Rights of the Child – Recommendation 874 (1979) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, art.33, 1989.

But the data and legislations hardly reach the grassroots level despite the increasing efforts of the concerned institutions. Through contacts with the public, teachers, associations leaders or trainers at random from their booths/tents set up in the streets, markets, and squares and by visiting shops, the SNTD teams are witnessing a striking lack of education on this vital subject, thus leaving the way open for these highly organized and powerful networks of drug dealers. So, to contribute to raising the awareness of the public, educators, community leaders and officials, the SNTD Teams are distributing freely educative booklets on the 14 most used drugs and other video educative materials provided by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World in 17 languages. “Education is the progressive discovery of our own ignorance” rightly said the philosopher William Durant ( 1885-1981).

All the SNTD volunteers from Europe are very interested and concerned with this day celebration, enabling them to meet and inform the public and the youth and get them involved to take responsibility to protect themselves but also their family and friends from the harmful effects of drug use.

But drug use is not just harming. Ultimately and rapidly, due to the addictive psychoactive components, drug abuse is leading to the destruction of the user and more. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) recently reported that “drug-related mortality accounts for a considerable percentage of deaths among young people in many European countries”. According to the last estimation (31 August 2021) “at least 5,141 overdose deaths occurred in the European Union in 2019. This rises to an estimated 5,769 deaths if Norway and Turkey are included”. A dreadful ignorance!

Hereafter are some examples from Europe of SNTD Teams in action in the frame of the 26 June Celebration:

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1) Austria

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In Vienna, they held their tent at the Millennium City, a train station and shopping center, near the Donauinsel (Danube Island). The 8 volunteers distributed 800 booklets and collected 40 signatures on the board with the pledge to Stay Drug-free. In addition, they had their successful street paintings for the children and significant contacts were made with associations and educators for further lectures on drugs.

2) Belgium

The team organized in Brussels an Open House on the drug subject followed by a 1h30 seminar in Dutch and French. More than 50 people were attending, very interested to get factual data on drugs. Then, they took: 22 booklet sets (a set containing 14 different booklets on the most used drugs), 9 info kits and 6 DVDs (with testimonies and short presentations) in French; 7 booklet sets, 5 info kits and 5 DVD’s in Dutch; 8 booklet sets and 5 info kits in English.

3) Czech Republic

This year was their 18th Cyclo-run, starting on 13 June for 10 days, covering some 1200 Kms and crossing 41 towns. Along the way, the “bikers and runners” met with town representatives, and community leaders did to say the less, lectures in 30 schools to more than 4,500 children, distributed 10,000 fliers and 35,000 booklets to the public, got 5 TV reports, several radios and newspapers, raising the awareness on the untold harming effects of drug use and spreading the message on the importance of a drug-free life.

4) Denmark

A Team of some 10 persons were mobilized to hold info stands in front of the main train station of Copenhagen. This way 2,300 booklets from the series The Truth About Drugs and 200 fliers got distributed to the passers-by. This was also a good opportunity to answer questions on drugs and to get in relation with people interested in a follow-up on the drug subject.

5) France

Along the week some 4,261 booklets were hand-distributed and 160 shops were visited in cities and villages across France such as in Paris (with a singer) and suburbs, Lyon, Pau, Nice, Angers, Auray, Clermont-Ferrand, Riom, Erquy, Cahors and in Marseille who in addition got in 1,5 hrs some 272 signatures on their pledges: An Engagement to Stay Drug-Free.

6) Germany

The info stand was in the middle of the main walking street of Frankfurt for about 2,5 hours with 6 helpers. Among the visitors, they had a teacher interested in his school, ladies from the Techno-Scene for a lecture, and a group of 5 girls (around 13 years old) who took booklets for their friends. One came back half an hour later to take more booklets with her for more friends! 825 booklets were distributed and fruitful contacts were made.

7) Greece

They were 15 Volunteers from the Athens team who distributed 2,500 booklets during 1,5hrs in the Piraeus harbour area and also to some shops around. The motto: “Inform people before dealers do”. Adolescents, adults and young parents, all were interested to have more data on drugs and were happy to get these informative booklets for them and their friends. Many pertinent questions were answered to full satisfaction.

The FDFE and all the European SNTD volunteers are very concerned about the protection of the youth from the deleterious effects of drug use. The old saying “Prevention is Better than Cure” has a much greater implication than it seems: it encompasses not only the individual but the family circle and has a great incidence on the community and social living. Aligned with the purpose of the 26 June celebration, let us remember these words of the humanist Ron Hubbard (1911-1986): “The drug scene is planet-wide and swimming in blood and human misery. Research demonstrates that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs.”

The drug problem is not a fatality. To curtail the drug demand an early education of the children as primary prevention, good parental examples, and the support of youth associations, community and authorities are the efficient tools. Indeed, as the old African proverb says: “It takes a whole village to educate a child”. This is the safe and sane way “to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse”.

New Technique Could Lead to Improved Cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Lung Disease Drugs

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Karolinska Institutet

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22 July 2022

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New Technique Could Lead to Improved Cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Lung Disease Drugs

The paper provides a new technique for improving and changing the function of proteins.

Improved protein function opens the door to novel drug development possibilities.

Maurice Michel, assistant professor at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet. Credit: Stefan Zimmerman

In a paper that was published in the journal Science, scientists from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab reveal how they were able to enhance a protein’s ability to repair oxidative DNA damage while also creating a new protein function. The researchers’ ground-breaking technique may result in better treatments for oxidative stress-related illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and lung diseases, but they think it has even more potential.

Finding certain pathogenic proteins and developing medicines that inhibiting these proteins has long been the foundation of the drug development process. However, many illnesses are caused by a reduction or loss of protein function, which cannot be specifically targeted by inhibitors.

Inspired by a Nobel Prize-winning discovery

In the current study, scientists from the Karolinska Institutet enhanced the function of the protein OGG1, an enzyme that fixes oxidative DNA damage and is linked to aging and disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, and lung diseases.

The team used a technique called organocatalysis, which was created by Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan, who were awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The process is based on the finding that tiny organic molecules have the ability to function as catalysts and start chemical processes without becoming a component of the end result.

The researchers examined how such catalyst molecules, previously described by others, bind to OGG1 and affect its function in cells. One of the molecules proved to be of particular interest.

Ten times more effective

“When we introduce the catalyst into the enzyme, the enzyme becomes ten times more effective at repairing oxidative DNA damage and can perform a new repair function,” says the study’s first author Maurice Michel, assistant professor at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet.

Thomas Helleday, professor of the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet. Credit: Stefan Zimmerman

The catalyst made it possible for the enzyme to cut the DNA in an unusual way so that it no longer requires its regular protein APE1 to work but another protein called PNKP1.

The researchers believe that OGG1 proteins improved in this way can form new drugs for diseases in which oxidative damage is implicated. However, Professor Thomas Helleday at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and the study’s last author also sees broader applications, where the concept of adding a small catalyst molecule to a protein is used to improve and change other proteins as well.

New protein functions are generated

“We believe that this technology could instigate a paradigm shift in the pharmaceutical industry, whereby new protein functions are generated instead of being suppressed by inhibitors,” says Thomas Helleday. “But the technique isn’t limited to drugs. The applications are virtually unlimited.”

Reference: “Small-molecule activation of OGG1 increases oxidative DNA damage repair by gaining a new function” by Maurice Michel, Carlos Benítez-Buelga, Patricia A. Calvo, Bishoy M. F. Hanna, Oliver Mortusewicz, Geoffrey Masuyer, Jonathan Davies, Olov Wallner Kumar Sanjiv, Julian J. Albers, Sergio Castañeda-Zegarra, Ann-Sofie Jemth, Torkild Visnes, Ana Sastre-Perona, Akhilesh N. Danda, Evert J. Homan, Karthick Marimuthu, Zhao Zhenjun, Celestine N. Chi, Antonio Sarno, Elisée Wiita, Catharina von Nicolai, Anna J. Komor, Varshni Rajagopal, Sarah Müller, Emily C. Hank, Marek Varga, Emma R. Scaletti, Monica Pandey, Stella Karsten, Hanne Haslene-Hox, Simon Loevenich, Petra Marttila, Azita Rasti, Kirill Mamonov, Florian Ortis, Fritz Schömberg, Olga Loseva, Josephine Stewart, Nicholas D’Arcy-Evans, Tobias Koolmeister, Martin Henriksson, Dana Michel, Ana de Ory, Lucia Acero, Oriol Calvete, Martin Scobie, Christian Hertweck, Ivan Vilotijevic, Christina Kalderén, Ana Osorio, Rosario Perona, Alexandra Stolz, Pål Stenmark, Ulrika Warpman Berglund, Miguel de Vega and Thomas Helleday, 23 June 2022, Science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.abf8980

The study was funded by the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council, the Crafoord Foundation, the Swedish Cancer Society, the Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Foundation, and the Dr. Åke Olsson Foundation for Haematological Research.

Many of the researchers involved in the study are listed in a patent application concerning OGG1 inhibitors and are associated with the organization that owns the patent. Two are employed by Oxcia AB, which licenses the patent, and many are shareholders in the company.

Yale Scientists Zero In on Genetic Causes of Parkinson’s Disease

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Bill Hathaway, Yale University

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22 July 2022

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Yale Scientists Zero In on Genetic Causes of Parkinson’s Disease

New research by Yale researchers offers important clues into the genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease, a severe and incurable motor disorder.

Although the development of Parkinson’s disease has been closely linked to variants of at least 20 different genes, scientists are still investigating exactly how they cause the severe and incurable motor disorder that afflicts around 1 million people in the U.S. alone.

Yale researchers have just completed new studies that offer important clues. In two new research papers, scientists provide insight into the function of a protein called VPS13C, one of the molecular suspects underlying Parkinson’s, a disease marked by uncontrollable movements including tremors, stiffness, and loss of balance.

“There are many roads to Rome; likewise there are many roads leading to Parkinson’s,” said Pietro De Camilli, the John Klingenstein Professor of Neuroscience and professor of cell biology at Yale and investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “Laboratories at Yale are making progress toward elucidating some of these paths.”

De Camilli is the senior author of the two new papers, which have been published in the Journal of Cell Biology and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

Previous research has shown that mutations of the gene VPS13C cause rare cases of inherited Parkinson’s or an increased risk of the disease. To better understand why, De Camilli and Karin Reinisch, the David W. Wallace Professor of Cell Biology and of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, investigated the mechanisms by which these mutations lead to dysfunction on a cellular level.

They reported in 2018 that VPS13C forms a bridge between two subcellular organelles — the endoplasmic reticulum and the lysosome. The endoplasmic reticulum is the organelle that regulates the synthesis of most phospholipids, fatty molecules that are essential for building cell membranes. The lysosome acts as the cell’s digestive system. They also showed that VPS13C can transport lipids, suggesting that it may form a conduit for the traffic of lipid between these two organelles.

One of the new papers (Journal of Cell Biology) from De Camilli’s lab demonstrates that the lack of VPS13C affects the lipid composition and properties of lysosomes. Moreover, they found that in a human cell line these perturbations activate an innate immunity. Such activation, if occurring in brain tissue, would trigger neuroinflammation, a process implicated in Parkinson’s by several recent studies.

The second paper (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) from De Camilli’s lab uses state-of-the-art cryo-electron tomography techniques to reveal the architecture of this protein in its native environment supporting a bridge model of lipid transport. Jun Liu, a professor of microbial pathogenesis at Yale, is co-corresponding author of this study.

Understanding these fine-grained molecular details will be crucial in understanding at least one of the roads that lead to Parkinson’s disease and may help identify therapeutic targets to prevent, or slow, the disease, researchers say.

References:

“ER-lysosome lipid transfer protein VPS13C/PARK23 prevents aberrant mtDNA-dependent STING signaling” by William Hancock-Cerutti, Zheng Wu, Peng Xu, Narayana Yadavalli, Marianna Leonzino, Arun Kumar Tharkeshwar, Shawn M. Ferguson, Gerald S. Shadel and Pietro De Camilli, 3 June 2022, Journal of Cell Biology.
DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202106046

“In situ architecture of the lipid transport protein VPS13C at ER–lysosome membrane contacts” by Shujun Cai, Yumei Wu, Andrés Guillén-Samander, William Hancock-Cerutti, Jun Liu and Pietro De Camilli, 13 July 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203769119

Yale’s William Hancock-Cerutti is lead author of the paper appearing in the Journal of Cell biology and Shujun Cai is lead author of the paper published in PNAS.

Latvia files Allegations of Genocide re Ukraine v. Russian Federation

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Newsdesk

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22 July 2022

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Grand_Hall_de_Justice_de_Palais_de_La_Paix_à_La_Haye_Pays-Bas — Lybil BER, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Latvia files a declaration of intervention in the proceedings under Article 63 of the Statute

THE HAGUE, 22 July 2022. Genocide – On 21 July 2022, the Republic of Latvia, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation).

Pursuant to Article 63 of the Statute, whenever the construction of a convention to which States other than those concerned in the case are parties is in question, each of these States has the right to intervene in the proceedings. In this case, the construction given by the judgment of the Court will be equally binding upon them.

To avail itself of the right of intervention conferred by Article 63 of the Statute, Latvia relies on its status as a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”). It states that “[a]s a Party to the Genocide Convention, Latvia has a direct interest in the construction that might be placed upon that treaty in the Court’s decision in the [proceedings”, indicating that it “wishes to intervene in order to make submissions on [the] construction of the Genocide Convention on issues relating to merits as well as jurisdiction”.

In accordance with Article 83 of the Rules of Court, Ukraine and the Russian Federation have been invited to furnish written observations on Latvia’s declaration of intervention.

Latvia’s declaration of intervention will soon be available on the Court’s website.

History of the proceedings

The history of the proceedings can be found in press releases Nos. 2022/4, 2022/6, 2022/7 and 2022/11, available on the Court’s website.

Note. The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do not constitute official documents.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role. first, to settle, in accordance with international law, through judgments which have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.

Sri Lanka Cardinal condemns high-handed actions of new president – Vatican News

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Vatican News

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22 July 2022

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Sri Lanka Cardinal condemns high-handed actions of new president - Vatican News

By Francesca Merlo

In a heartfelt address to the people of Sri Lanka and the international community, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, condemned Friday morning’s attack on the “beloved” citizens of Sri Lanka, in which security forces raided the main anti-government protest camp in the capital.

The Cardinal explains that the unarmed youth, even after having announced that they were preparing to leave the site, were attacked by an “unprovoked” group of policemen and army soldiers.

Some were injured and others were arrested, noted the Cardinal, stressing his desire to “completely condemn this high-handed action of the president”.

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Only 24 hours

President Ranil Wickremesinghe had been in power for less than 24 hours at the time of the attack, winning 134 votes in parliament, after former prime minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted.

“This is very sad”, stated the Cardinal, “because the president became president only on the vote of the parliamentarians, and because he came saying that he would protect the constitution”. Instead, continued the cardinal, “he has acted against the basic right of the people to protest, which is a democratic right, which was exercised non violently by the youth”.

The president’s attack on this youth is completely contradictory to what he publicly announced and to what his duty as president of the country is, continued the Cardinal.

He added that the parliament does not represent the majority of the people and that the president is trying to “dictate terms and force himself on the people with the use of thuggery and oppression is unacceptable”.

Responsibility for any consequences

“We hold the president responsible”, continued the Cardinal, “for any future disaster that might come as a result of his actions”.

Cardinal Ranjith then went to note that amongst those injured during Friday’s attack were members of both local and foreign media. He went on to condemn these attacks, too, and “, especially on those who came from overseas”, warning of the discredit Sri Lanka will receive as a result of one person’s actions.

A suffering nation

He then turned his focus to the suffering people of the nation, who with unemployment and a lack of basic necessities to live with dignity protested this reality, peacefully, and demanded change, only to be attacked.

“It is the responsibility of the President to look into this attack”, stated the Cardinal, demanding that an inquiry be opened and that those guilty be held responsible.

Turning then to the international community, Cardinal Ranjith asked that should the government fail to open an inquiry, members of human rights organisations do so instead. “To attack the very same people whose protests lead to this change is like kicking the ladder after one reaches the top”, concluded the cardinal, adding “we wish to condemn that very firmly and call upon him not to act in that high-handed fashion hereafter”.

Listen to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith

Mega-drought, glacier melt, and deforestation plague Latin America and the Caribbean

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United Nations News

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22 July 2022

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Mega-drought, glacier melt, and deforestation plague Latin America and the Caribbean

From the Amazon to the Andes and the snowy depths of Patagonia, extreme weather and climate change are causing mega-drought, extreme rainfall, deforestation and glacier melt across the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, according to a UN report published on Friday.

In its State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights the far-reaching repercussions for ecosystems, food and water security, human health and poverty.

“The report shows that hydrometeorological hazards, including droughts, heatwaves, cold waves, tropical cyclones and floods, have unfortunately led to the loss of hundreds of lives, severe damages to crop production and infrastructure and human displacement,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Worsening climate change…[has] stalled decades of progress – ECLAC

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Glacier retreat

Climate change is threatening vital systems in the region, which are already approaching critical conditions, potentially causing irreversible damage.

The report revealed that since the 1980s, glaciers in the tropical Andes have lost 30 per cent or more of their area – with a negative mass balance trend during the 1990-2020 monitoring period.

In Peru, some have lost more than 50 per cent of their area.

Glacier retreat and corresponding ice-mass loss increases the risk of water scarcity for people in the Andes, and its ecosystems.

“For many Andean cities, melting glaciers represent the loss of a significant source of freshwater currently used for domestic use, irrigation, and hydroelectric power,” said the WMO chief.

Deforestation and dangerous rain

According to the report, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest doubled from the 2009‑2018 average and reached its highest level since 2009.

WMO/Caio Graco

22-09-2021_WMO_Brazil.jpg Caption Rising temperatures mean more weather extremes, including intense rainfall as illustrated by this storm over Dutra highway in Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.

Some 22 per cent more forest area was lost last year, compared to the previous one – a blow for both the environment and climate change mitigation.

“In South America, the continued degradation of the Amazon rainforest is still being highlighted as a major concern for the region but also for global climate, considering the role of the forest in the carbon cycle,” said the top WMO official.

Meanwhile, record-breaking rainfall last year triggered floods and landslides that caused hundreds of fatalities, left tens of thousands of homes destroyed or damaged, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced.

Floods and landslides in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Minas Gerais alone led to an estimated loss of $ 3.1 billion.

Sea level rise

Regional sea levels rose at a faster rate than elsewhere in the world, notably along the Atlantic coast of South America south of the equator, and the subtropical North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

The rising sea contaminates freshwater aquifers, erodes shorelines, inundates low-lying areas, and increases the risks of storm surges, threatening coastal populations.

“Increasing sea-level rise and ocean warming are expected to continue to affect coastal livelihoods, tourism, health, food, energy, and water security, particularly in small islands and Central American countries,” Mr. Taalas warned.

Children search for scraps of wood to help their parents rebuild their house after it was destroyed by the strong winds of Hurricane Iota in Nicaragua.

Drought

In South America overall, drought conditions led to a 2.6 per cent decline during the 2020-2021 cereal harvest compared with the previous season, the report said.

And the so-called Central Chile Mega Drought, which has continued for 13 years, is the longest drought in the region in a thousand years.

Additionally, a multi-year drought in the Parana-La Plata Basin, the worst since 1944, is affecting central-southern Brazil and parts of Paraguay and Bolivia.

The agricultural damage it has caused, such as by reducing soybean and corn production, has affect global crop markets.

Progress against poverty stalled

“Worsening climate change…have not only impacted the biodiversity of the region, but have also stalled decades of progress against poverty, food insecurity and the reduction of inequality in the region,” said Mario Cimoli of Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

The report, which outlines how extreme weather will continue to adversely affect human health and natural ecosystems, can inform climate policy and decision-making.

“No matter how it is taken, action must be informed by science,” he underscored.

President Macron in Benin should demand the release of Reckya Madougou and Joel Aivo

By

Juan Sanchez Gil

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22 July 2022

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On the eve of President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Benin, the Brussels-based NGO “Human Rights Without Frontiers” urged the French President to demand the release of two famous opposition leaders, Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo, respectively sentenced to 20 years and 10 years in prison.

This month, Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) has filed a report with the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Benin, in which the organisation outlined its concerns over human rights abuses in Benin, with particular regard to the continued detention of opposition figures Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo and the fact that they were not included in a list of 17 detainees due to be temporarily released after a 13 June 2022 meeting between President Patrice Talon and Thomas Boni Yayi, former President of Benin (2006-2016).

Reckya Madougou, from her Facebook account

The submission by HRWF included details about the case of Reckya Madougou who was sentenced at the end of 2021 to 20 years in prison for allegedly financing terrorism. She had been arrested in March 2021 accused of wiring thousands of dollars to a military officer for the purpose of killing unnamed authorities. Her candidacy had earlier been rejected by the electoral commission. HRWF went on to detail that Ms Madougou was the leader of the opposition party, Les Démocrates, and a presidential candidate. HRWF’s statement also described Ms Madougou’s civil society campaign — “Don’t touch my constitution” — that rallied against leaders seeking to extend their rule under the guise of constitutional reform. The movement spread across West Africa, gaining her a high profile.

RMTB, CC BY-SA 4.0, Joel Aivo – via Wikimedia Commons

The HRWF report to the UPR also gave details about the case of Joël Aivo and his December 2021 sentencing by the controversial Economic Crime and Terrorism Court (CRIET) to 10 years in prison for allegedly plotting against the state and laundering money.

HRWF explained in their submission that Mr Aivo is a law professor who challenged Talon in the 2021 election. He was held for eight months ahead of sentencing and pleaded not guilty to the charges of plotting against the state and money laundering.

HRWF has been monitoring the backsliding that has been taking place around human rights in Benin since 2016. “We were especially dismayed to see that Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo were not on the June 2022 list of 17 detainees to be temporarily released. Ms Madougou and Mr Aivo should be fully released immediately. The persecution and detention of opposition figures has no place in a democracy and we are concerned for the welfare of these two politicians. President Macron must use his visit to Benin to demand that President Patrice Talon release them,” Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers told The European Times.

New Dance Track “It’s Hot” Sizzles – Infusing Positive Energy

By

News desk

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22 July 2022

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Artist Silk Releases “It’s Hot” Dance Track By Infusing Positive Energy With Sound For The Goal of Effecting Emotion

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK, July 21, 2022 – Classically trained musician and artist Silk had a vision… Use her many talents and creativity to write and produce music that makes a positive impact on people. As a lifelong positive thinker, Silk fully understands music’s ability to influence our emotions and the effects it has on our energy. Harnessing the beautiful aspects of sound, and focusing on how to create positive energy with various combinations.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== New Dance Track "It's Hot" Sizzles - Infusing Positive Energy — “It’s Hot”, Silk, artist

Silk explained; “The song is about what makes you happy personally- about you and what you find attractive and ‘what floats your boat’. Take in this song and experience it. Feel free to apply it to your own personal journey. For example, in the song “Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews from The Sound of Music, the focus is her favorite things. It’s the same thing here. What do you find hot? What makes you happy? What would you like to see happen more and more for yourself? This song is all about the listener and their preferences. Just listen to the song and imagine whatever you want to be actually is, but above all else, feel happy. The energy contained in “It’s Hot” and its lyrics will support you and what you are feeling when you listen. Give it a try.

“From my early childhood, I have always been able to transmute and convert negativity into positive. That’s just how I am wired. It happens automatically. Visualize a bunch of arrows being thrown at you. Can you convert those arrows into flowers? What I do is something like that. As those arrows theoretically come toward you, if you are able to change them into flowers, then what’s created in the atmosphere is flowers, and is something good and beautiful. That’s what happened here, but with sound, for the purpose of happiness.”

Silk penned the lyrics and music, as well as produced and had the video for “It’s Hot” filmed. To enhance the music track and turn up the sizzle that’s behind “It’s Hot”, Silk filmed her visuals in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Silk, the meaning behind the first of her six new singles dropping in 2022 is simple; “Be happy and DANCE”. “It’s Hot” is light and the essence of dance. It’s easy to listen to and just be with the music. When you hear this track, you do not have to think too much, except to just be happy and feel light. Even if this song gives you a few seconds of happiness it’s done its job.

“Thunder God” is the next release coming from this modern day artist. Combining the essence and energy of nature with the power of sound is the next level creativity that will be dropping in the fall. Until then, the artist Silk hopes “It’s Hot” will surround you with positive energy, move you on the dance floor, and enable you to feel pure happiness.

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https://youtu.be/Gco7mj6Kve8

Silk – “It’s Hot” (Official Music Video)

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